Scenario-based learning improves learner engagement and makes training

feel more immediately relevant to learners.

Compare the following two assessment questions—which one do you think would
be more effective in healthcare training?

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Question 1: In motivational interviewing, which interaction technique encourages
people to explain their perspective, situation, and needs?

A. Open-ended question

B. Affirmation

C. Reflective listening

D. Summary

Question 2: You're a doctor working with a 47-year-old male patient, Blake. He is

diabetic, and his last A1C was 8.4. His blood pressure has been slightly elevated
for the past three visits. You're providing a brief intervention to encourage
healthier diet and exercise choices. Which is the best question to ask, according to
motivational interview techniques?

A. Are you concerned about your A1C number?

B. What concerns do you have about your diabetes?

C. Do you understand the connection between your diabetes and blood pressure?

Given the option, most people choose a scenario-based question like Question 2.
It's more relevant. Instead of being abstract and generic, it's specific and concrete.
And it clearly connects to making decisions, making it more appropriate for
workplace training.
Benefits of scenario-based learning

For purposes of this article, scenario-based learning is any learning or training that
uses scenarios or storytelling. The scenario may be central to the learning, or it
may just provide support. That is a deliberately broad definition, offering
flexibility rather than prescribing a single approach.

In training, no single approach is the right solution for every problem. We as talent
development professionals need a range of solutions. Under the broad umbrella of
scenario-based learning, we can use numerous different tactics depending on the
audience's and the organization's needs.

Why choose scenario-based learning? The most significant benefit is supporting

real-life decision making. To improve, learners need to practice skills in ways that
reflect their work environment. Scenarios provide that relevant context. Whether a
scenario uses text, images, audio, videos, or other media, the most important aspect
is how it aligns to the decisions people make in their work. How should they
respond in a conversation? What steps should they take to troubleshoot? What
trade-offs should they make between two important variables? You can address
those types of questions more effectively through scenario-based learning.

Because the scenario's context is similar to the workplace, learners increase the
transfer of skills from training to their jobs. Practice in a similar environment (even
a simulated one) can help trigger memories and improve retention.

Scenario-based learning also provides learners with a safe space to fail. Scenarios
can be challenging enough that learners make mistakes, uncovering
misunderstandings or skills that require more practice. Through feedback and
repeated attempts, learners can improve their skills without the risks that on-the-job
mistakes entail.

Engaging learners through scenarios

One reason for using a scenario-based approach is that it improves learner
engagement. Think of three dimensions of learner engagement: behavioral,
cognitive, and affective.

Behavioral engagement is direct action. This is what we often focus most on in e-

learning—it's what learners click on or interact with on a screen. In live training,
behavioral engagement may be a measure of how many times people talk, ask
questions, or participate by doing an on-task action. Behavioral engagement is
important, but it can be a shallow measure of what learners are accomplishing.

Cognitive engagement is about how people are thinking during training, especially
deeper thinking and problem solving. If the training is just about recalling a series
of facts, it's less cognitively engaging than training that makes people think
critically and make decisions. Scenario-based learning can be more cognitively
engaging because it can put learners into a relevant scenario where they apply
knowledge to make decisions.

Affective engagement can relate to the emotions that people feel toward training.
Learners who feel more positive emotions may be more likely to complete an e-
learning course, for example. Scenario-based learning engages emotions by
providing stories and characters that learners care about. Showing characters facing
challenges or conflicts can draw learners into the training, rather than leaving them
feeling bored.

Affective engagement is connected to motivation and task values—the value

people perceive in completing tasks. If the task is relevant and useful, people feel
more motivated. Scenarios showing relevant situations help learners immediately
see how the training applies to their own work. That increases motivation and the
positive emotions toward the training.

Options for incorporating scenarios

When many people think of scenario-based learning, they imagine complex
branching scenarios and simulations. While those are great solutions for some
situations, they aren't the only options. Scenario-based learning doesn't always
have to be complex. It can range from simple and more passive to complex and
highly active. Let's review some options, starting with the simplest and moving to
the most complex.

Examples. One of the simplest options for incorporating scenarios into your

training is one you may already be using: providing examples. An example could
be a success story about someone who used the skills from a course and how they
benefited. A negative example can show the consequences of not following
guidelines or not applying skills from training.

Negative examples can be especially effective to gain learners' attention at the

beginning of compliance or safety course. That kind of hook can be short: "Joe is
out on short-term disability for six months due to an injury at work. What
happened? While he was driving a bulldozer down a hill, he lost control, and the
bulldozer rolled over. The accident left him with serious injuries that will take
months to recover from. In this training, you'll learn how to handle your bulldozer
safely to avoid this kind of accident." The example is passive, so it doesn't provide
decision-making practice, but it still increases affective engagement.

One-question mini-scenarios. Question 2 at the beginning of this article is one

example of this approach. The scenario itself is usually short, only a few sentences
long, and it provides some context.

A scenario-based approach can change an assessment question from measuring

recall to measuring application or higher-level thinking. That is more active
because learners have to make a choice, but it doesn't require any special tools or
technology.
Conversation-driven e-learning. Instead of the traditional single narrator, you can
wrap the content into a story framework using two or more narrators in
conversation. For example, use one character as a mentor and another character in
a role similar to your audience. As the mentor explains and teaches the second
character, the learners listen to their conversation. The second character can ask
questions and raise objections that your audience may have so the mentor can
address them.

You can intersperse the conversation with activities and questions to check
understanding and apply skills. This conversation-driven e-learning approach may
be more interesting to your learners than traditional click-next e-learning.

Case studies. Case studies with multiple related responses are a moderately

complex option for scenario-based learning. You can use them in e-learning,
virtual instructor-led training, or classroom-based training.

Branching scenarios. These are often what people envision as scenario-based

learning. In a branching scenario, learners choose options and make decisions. The
story changes based on the choices the learners make. Branching scenarios are
nonlinear and have multiple endings. That makes them effective for training more
complex skills and strategic decision making. However, they can require more time
and resources to create than some of the simpler options.

Role plays and simulations. These are among the most complex approaches. They
require either an instructor to guide the process or complex programming to create
an immersive environment.

Learner-generated scenarios. This approach is rare in workplace training, but

instructors sometimes use it in higher education. Using learner-generated scenarios
requires significant engagement from learners, but it may help learners reflect
deeply on a topic.
Combination. The above approaches are not mutually exclusive. In fact,
combining approaches, or combining scenario-based approaches with other
methods, may be the best solution at times. For example, you may have a longer e-
learning program with some traditional direct instruction for the foundational
knowledge, interspersed with one-question mini-scenarios for application of
individual skills. At the end of the program, a branching scenario could provide a
combined practice exercise using all the skills together.

In a blended learning program, you may use branching scenarios as a pre-session

practice exercise to prepare learners for a live role-play exercise. You could also
use one-question mini-scenarios spaced over time for reinforcement following
other training.

Considerations for choosing an approach

How do you decide whether a scenario-based approach is appropriate? And if it is,

how do you decide which one is best?

First, think about your audience. If your learners have less prior knowledge or
experience, they may need options with more structure and support. Simpler
scenario-based options may be a better approach, especially for starting out. As
learners build their skills, they can advance to complex scenarios that reflect the
complexity of their work. Learners with less prior knowledge also benefit from
more immediate, direct feedback.

What about the skills themselves? If you're training procedural skills that are
basically the same every time, a scenario-based approach may not be appropriate.
If you do use a scenario for straightforward procedural training, choose a simpler
option such as examples or a story to place the procedure in context.

Complex, strategic skills are a better fit for scenario-based learning. With strategic
decision making, scenario-based learning can reflect the considerations and trade-
offs in situations without clear-cut right answers. Therefore, scenario-based
learning is a good fit for training problem solving and strategic decision making
but may not be so good for knowledge, awareness, or procedures.

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Another consideration is the risk of mistakes. If mistakes are dangerous or

especially costly, scenario-based learning gives learners opportunities to make
mistakes in a safe environment.

Also think about the longevity of the skills and content. How long will this training
content be relevant? How often will you need to update it? If the content is fairly
evergreen, such as leadership or communication training, it can be worth the
investment of a more substantial scenario-based approach. However, if the content
changes rapidly or needs frequent updates, use a simpler approach like one-
question mini-scenarios. That can make future updates easier so the scenario-based
learning stays relevant. You can even build branching scenarios to be easier to
update though, by avoiding resource-intensive multimedia and adding bottlenecks
within the branching structure.

The time and cost to develop and maintain scenario-based learning is a final
consideration. That is especially true for branching scenarios, simulations, and
complex media. Fortunately, the simpler options require little additional time or
cost, making scenario-based learning accessible to nearly any organization.

How to proceed

Scenario-based learning can feel overwhelming, and it can generate resistance if

this is a large shift in your approach. Rather than trying to do everything at once,
start small. It's easier to first get stakeholder buy-in on a small scenario-based
option like improved assessments.

One way to start is with one-question mini-scenarios. Replace some or all of your
traditional abstract multiple-choice questions with a short scenario and question.
Give stakeholders two examples to compare: a traditional question and a scenario-
based question. Similar to the introduction to this article, stakeholders can often
immediately see the benefits of this scenario-based approach. Plus, mini-scenarios
don't require significant additional time or resources.

Combining approaches is another way to get started. Review your training

objectives to identify one or two that would benefit from a scenario-based
treatment. Even if other parts of the course use traditional instructional approaches,
add a scenario-based practice activity or assessment.

Starting small helps your team build its skills for creating scenario-based learning.
As the talent development team and stakeholders become more comfortable with
scenarios, you can progress to more complex scenario-based learning.

What's your next move?

Scenario-based learning encompasses a wide range of training methods that

incorporate scenarios or storytelling. From simple one-question approaches
through complex branching scenarios and simulations, these methods can improve
behavioral, cognitive, and affective learner engagement. While scenarios can be
beneficial in many kinds of training, consider simpler approaches for knowledge or
procedural training, while more complex scenario-based learning is a better fit for
strategic decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Scenario-based learning can engage learners with relevant practice, provide

opportunities to practice higher-level thinking, and support better transfer of skills
to the workplace.

Convert Traditional Questions to Scenario-Based

Questions
To convert traditional recall-based multiple-choice questions into scenario-based
questions, first determine when learners would use the training content in their
work. Then add a short scenario to introduce the question and provide context. In
your scenario, create a situation where learners apply the knowledge to make a
decision. Finally, add specific details to the choices to fit the scenario. See the
example below related to objection handling for salespeople.

Original question: If a customer raises an objection about cost, what does that
often signify as an underlying concern?

A. Nothing; the salesperson should address the cost objection directly.

B. The customer is stalling for more time to make a decision.

C. The value in comparison to the risk is not clear to the customer.

Revised question: Alfonso has been asking Lian questions before deciding to buy a
Widget 3000 system. He says, "I'm just not sure it's worth the cost. This system is
really expensive!" How should Lian respond to Alfonso's objection?

A. "It is an investment, but this is a customized solution to meet your needs and
reduce your company's downtime."

B. "That's OK. Let's look at the less-expensive Widget 2000 system instead."

C. "Would you like some more time to think about it before deciding?"

Note that this one-question miniscenario isn't much longer than the original
question (53 words compared to 81 words). The scenario is only a few sentences
long, but the revised question clearly connects to the specific workplace context.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christy Tucker
Christy Tucker is a learning experience design consultant with more than 15 years of experience helping
people learn. She specializes in using scenario-based learning to engage audiences and promote skill
transfer to real-world environments. She has created training for clients including the National Alliance for
Partnerships in Equity, Cisco, FIRST, and NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Tucker has
been blogging about instructional design and e-learning for more than 10 years and is a regular speaker at
industry conferences and events. She is a Certified Developer of Training and Learning Methods (CDT),
with a specialization in goal- and problem-based scenarios, a certification endorsed by the International
Society for Performance Improvement.